“If there’s one thing that businesses don’t like, it’s uncertainty,” says Feagan, adding: “As we look back on what, from a political standpoint, has been a tumultuous 2016 on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s fair to say that no one can predict exactly what lies in store for us as we head into 2017.”

He highlights the US presidential transition and the ramifications of Britain’s exit from the EU as reasons why experts are cautious going forward.

He continues: “And let’s not forget that, despite being at a level many Western countries would dream of, China’s ‘slowing’ growth to around six or seven percent could potentially impact international trade and economies, which only adds to the mix of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’.

“Certainly, from SAi’s perspective, it’s about carrying on with business as usual; we owe it to our customers to ensure that their changing needs continue to be met. Not losing sight of such key objectives is critical when it comes to ensuring a steady ship, as is being pragmatic in the face of the inevitable scaremongering that so often goes hand-in-hand with uncertainty.

“Seven or eight years ago, the financial turmoil that engulfed the industry led to falling revenues and decreasing investment. But that was then. From our own standpoint, and for that of many sign/print industry associates – be they OEM partners, customers or competitors – there is a general feeling that business is largely on an even keel when we reflect on the year behind us.”

Feagan says from a technology perspective, there has been more positivity recently, with Memjet’s Waterfall Technology and HP’s PageWide offering as beneficial for software providers.

He says: “As for SAi, we are mindful of the need to adapt to change by offering a level of choice that caters for the varying business requirements of our customers. This is demonstrated by our subscriptions model, which enables customers, if they wish, to opt away from the ‘traditional’ purchase method and instead select pay-as-you-go access to our software on a month-to-month basis.

“Such is the popularity of this approach, that, as well as being available for our Flexi signmaking software, we have just extended the model to include our EnRoute CAD/CAM software for CNC routing applications.”

“Looking ahead to 2017, regardless of the political situations around the world, we will concentrate on meeting the changing needs of our customers and providing the level of support that they have become accustomed to,” concludes Feagan.

If you have an interesting story or a view on this news, then please e-mail news@signlink.co.uk

Follow Jo on: